We went into the deepest, most remote parts of the Pacaya Samiria Reserve today. It was a day full of adventure that started with a 5:30 am wakeup call and ended with an amazing list of observations and experiences. We sighted the second southern tamandua of the trip, a hoatzin on a nest with a chick, and a plethora of tree frogs in the aquatic vegetation. With the cooler temperatures and cloud cover of the morning, the red howler monkeys were easier to find as they warmed themselves in the sun. This presented an incredible opportunity to view several troops of the tree dwellers. After a lunch in the “jungle café,” we went for the “piranha plunge” to cool off. We returned to the comfort of the Delfin II to share our sightings and review and share our new images.
5/24/2025
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Delfin II
Yarapa River, Amazonas Village, Peru
Leaving Delfin II at 06:00 for our morning skiff ride, we explored the Yarapa River and monkeys were everywhere! We saw common wooly monkeys, monk saki monkeys, and common squirrel monkeys. We weren’t monkeying around! In addition to the monkeys there were woodpeckers galore! We photographed crimson-crested, yellow-tufted, and cream-colored woodpeckers as they were busily hammering away at trees and termite nests. Our afternoon was spent at Amazonas Village getting an introduction to life along the river. We enjoyed demonstrations of food preparation, basketmaking with palm fibers, and hand-dying with local plants to give the baskets vibrant colors. We also had an introduction to Minga Peru, a group serving 40 different communities in this area. Our evening was topped off with a toast to the beginning of the actual Amazon River, where the Marañon and Ucayali Rivers converge. Salud!
